Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-06-19

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Unsettled on Thursday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[03] ND leader outlines party positions on European Constitution at EPP

[01] Weather Forecast: Unsettled on Thursday

Unsettled weather is forecast in many parts of the country, with cloud, showers and storms on the mainland, in the Ionian and in the northern Aegean, especially in the afternoon on the mainland. The rest of the country can expect scattered cloud. Winds northerly, light to moderate, turning strong in the Aegean. In the north, temperatures will range from 19C to 29C; on the rest of the mainland from 21C to 33C; and in the islands from 23C to 30C. Temperatures in Athens between 22C and 32C; and in Thessaloniki from 21C to 29C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.179

Pound sterling 0.702

Danish kroner 7.483

Swedish kroner 9.140

Japanese yen 139.8

Swiss franc 1.558

Norwegian kroner 8.243

Cyprus pound 0.591

Canadian dollar 1.585

Australian dollar 1.759

[03] ND leader outlines party positions on European Constitution at EPP Summit

The European Peoples' Party (EPP) on Wednesday began its enlarged Summit in the Halkidiki, northern Greece Sunny Convention Center with the participation of 10 prime ministers and 15 party leaders of the European Union's EPP parties.

Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Costas Karamanlis, who is hosting the Summit, presented his positions on the European Union draft Constitution, expressing reservations on the proposals of the constitutional assembly and criticizing the stance of the large counties of the Union.

''The proposals of the assembly tabled to date do not reflect fully the will of the majority of the Europeans on substantial changes, safeguarding the equitability on the Union's functions,'' Karamanlis said, adding ''we aim and hope that a way will be found, in light of the Intergovernmental Conference to arrive at and sign a text that will mean more to more people, a balanced text, not only between the opinions of the big ones, but between the hopes of all the states and all the peoples''.

He underlined that differences and amendments always constitute part of the democratic process, adding that of course in the end there will be an agreement, which ''will solve the problems and not create new ones''.

EPP President Wilfried Martens also addressed this first day of the two day affair, saying that the result of the EU's constitutional assembly was positive and close to the opinions of the Christian-Democrat parties for the new Europe.

''If the big countries understand that the constitution is beneficial, then we will maintain a logical balance between the states and the institutions,'' he said.

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